Pipes are often insulated using an insulating layer. Pipe insulation layers may be formed using spray-on insulation, preformed insulation, and grooved insulation. Spray on insulation is messy and often cannot yield consistent thicknesses. This leads to hot and cold spots, and if visible, an undesirable appearance. Preformed insulation is more costly, and also of course, pre-formed insulation can only be applied to pipes of the size it is manufactured for.
Known grooved insulation involves taking a sheet of panel or board insulation and cutting a series of grooves in it to allow it to uniformly bend around a pipe. Such cuts have a few problems. First, the cuts may not be accurate and thus gapping may occur in the insulation, allowing heat transfer through the pipe. Second, every groove that is cut results in wasted material. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, cutting pieces 92 to form an insulation panel 90 results in leftover removed sections 94, which are discarded.
The waste from the removed sections and lack of uniform cuts is something the subject matter of the present application seeks to address. The machine disclosed herein is also capable of moving insulation and insulation pieces between stations in a way that is advantageous.